Firth of Froth, Edinburgh, Scotland

A short break from a rather intense conference meant I could wander around the area surrounding the venue, a converted church, in search of somewhere to chill and I found it: the Firth of Froth in Edinburgh's Broughton Street (number 43). I liked the name as it brought together the location – Scotland – and the nature of the business – tea and coffee – so in I went and took a seat.

Firth of Froth, 43 Broughton Street, Edinburgh

There were wooden floors and five tables with some outdoor seating, counter servery and an eat-in and takeaway service on offer.

Blackboards advertised a wide range of bread-based products with various fillings (basic, classic and supreme) with a variety of what the caff called 'carriers' meaning rolls large and small, bagels, baguettes, panini, toasties and wraps.

There was a refrigerated soft drinks display and wooden shelves carrying sweets and snacks, not forgetting stuff like flapjacks and cakes. There was also a laminated menu on each of the tables offering breakfasts including porridge, bakery items and a cooked breakfast for £5.50. Porridge was £2.00 or £2.50, the latter being served with apple and cinnamon.

I ordered a ginger tea and a flapjack, which set me back just £4.10 (the tea was £2).

Unlike my visit to Prague not that long ago, where the ginger tea was made with fresh ginger, the Firth of Froth offered a teabag, probably Twinings, not sure, but there was nothing wrong with that in my book.

While it was lunchtime, it wasn't too busy and there was an air of calm about the place that was pleasant on what was a very pleasant and sunny day.

Ginger tea and a flapjack – £4.10

A sign on the window announced that the Firth of Froth was open on Sundays between noon and 4pm – worth remembering if you're in the area on the Sabbath and find yourself at a loose end.

There was plenty of of leaflets advertising various Edinburgh events and a small selection of magazines, like Shortlist too. A Bakewell tart, incidentally, would have set me back £1.85.

As for the staff, they were both friendly and efficient and, to top it all, there was free WiFi.

It's important to note that I visited Firth of Froth in March/April 2014, I can't remember the exact date.